Fodor's may use your email address to send you relevant information on site updates, account changes, and offers. For more information about your privacy and protection, please review our full Privacy Policy.

travel plan

hello. me and my husband are going to travel to Europe.but we cant make a plan because :
1-our invitation comes from Sweden so we have to enter Sweden first
2-our priorities are Italy ,Paris and Spain but since we enter Sweden seems logical to visit some sightseeing there !
3- we have 2 weeks maximum

so we don't know plan for which countries and how to get there from Sweden.and where to exit from. and how many days for which city we need.
Thanks alot.

It is impossible for strangers to make a decision for you without indicating interests, intentions, and budget. I also suggest to get travel guides to Spain, Italy. and France to see what may be of interest. The variations on the theme are almost indefinite.

Hi. Thanks for your replies. I must add we have to travel on a budget and we would like to see as much as possible. so our main issue is to have a plan and we know it's not possible to get it from others but we would like to hear your advise based on your experience and journeys and we are so flexible about it. so maybe you can help us with this beginning : if I was you, I would leave Sweden ASAP for Paris...
also if you have any estimation of minimum budget we need to make most and best of it if would be very helpful.
We really appreciate your help because its a big first step to us..

<<And do understand that Sweden is VERY expensive - if you plan on spending any time there.>> Sweden is not VERY expensive especially at the moment due to the favourable exchange rate. The info given by some posters is very outdated and probably from their last visit 20+ years ago. Whilst not a cheap country, it is certainly not as expensive as some make it out to be. Stockholm is a beautiful city so don't miss it.

Ok, let's go through some things because it seems like you're not a native English speaker.

What do you mean your "invitation" comes through Sweden? Did you get a European visa issued by Sweden that requires you to fly there?

What do you mean by "on a budget"? Without actual numerical parameters, the statement has no meaning. Russian oligarchs have budgets too, theirs are just larger. State dollars and cents for lodging per night or Euros per night that you can afford.

by invitation I mean invitation it's not easy to get visa in my country unless you travel with travel agencies in tours or have an invitation from one of your relatives or friends. I m not native English speaker but as you know on a budget means with restricted amount of money!
there is no "must" about staying in Sweden unless it worth staying with my friend for on day and a quick tour there. as I said we are so flexible about our plan and if adding one week makes our dream more possible we can think about it. also my next question will about the time.we can't think about peak season as it's so crowded and expensive and the only chose will be spring. but which months are the best in terms of price and weather?

Sorry - Sweden is much more expensive than Spain, Portugal and central europe - even than Germany. Perhaps not as bad as Switz - but not cheap. (And I was last in Sweden in early 2014.)

If you have friends or family you can stay with for free in Sweden, of course that makes a difference.

And you really do need to give us a specific budget per night - otherwise we are operating blind and can't make sensible recos.

Some people here have very tight budgets and stay in hostels or very simple B&Bs for less than 100 euros per night for 2 people. Others want more pleasant places for 150 to 200 euros per night. And some people want more upscale places and will pay 500 or 600 per night. The same with food. Some people want street food or sandwiches from supermarkets and some want fine dining - at 5 or 10 times the price.

The student travel sites usually say about 60 euros per day is the absolute minimum per person - and that is hostels. street food and not being able to see many sights because they are too expensive. And that won;t be enough in some places. And will not cover the flights or trains from one city to another.

You must have SOME idea of how much you will have available - so please give a specific amount per night.

I didn't know money is this important for planning but I must confess it's the first priority in everything!!
well somehow I got disappointed . traveling around the world has been my only dream from childhood. I even don't know why a child in a third world country and from a small city should dream about the world but maybe it's because i used to read a lot specially Jules Verne's!anyway I cant forget it and as I get older It becomes bolder and bolder in my mind that I can't stop thinking about it. I'm, 35 now and i think it's already late to start traveling to the world so I can't spend years saving money to start at 50!!
well let's go real! 100 euros it's so much for us!but i can't sleep anywhere.the place should be clean and private.
would adding two people help and cut the prices?or any other solutions?
plz be honest and tell me I should pray for a miracle

You are not that old. No matter where they are from, many people do not get to travel until much, much older. Many never do. It is something you really want and you are doing well to start researching.

How long could you stay with family or friends in Sweden? A few days (at least 3-4) stay with someone where you need only to buy food, would allow for some sightseeing and save money for hotels.

Where are flights the absolute cheapest from your home? Is it absolutely impossible to get a visa to one of the countries you are more interested in? Maybe you can look into getting a visa for another country where you could do a lot of sight seeing for less money and also get a cheap flight or train to 1 or 2 other places. That would also save the cost of flights from Sweden to the country you are really want to see.

There is something called "couch surfing" that you might look into. People who want to meet travelers, and who do not mind sharing their space with strangers, sometimes let travelers sleep on their sofa, or living room couch. I do not think they charge, but you would be sharing their living space and possibly their bathroom. Still, it might make it affordable. Most probably take only one person, but you can always see about it. It would be one way to do it on the cheap.

I do not know much about this, have never done it, but some people still do camp out. You might look at Lonely Planet or Thorn Tree websites. More backpackers use those.

thank u for your comment. i'v traveled to Istanbul and Georgia before. if by another country you mean somewhere out of Europe and cheaper I don't think which options i have.I love people cultures nature and history. Unfortunately i only have friends and relatives in US and Sweden and these places are the most expensive ones so who can send me invitation from Italy or Paris..
I know about couch surfing since I am searching about ways to reduce the costs but I don't think it works for us. we had an experience in Georgia we rented two rooms and we thought the landlord will leave the house but when we saw the guy smoking in living room and the girl coming home with her Bf drunk and the kids nagging and screaming ,we surprised!! so it doesn't need to be a luxury place but being clean and private is a must for us.

I love Esfahan and it is indeed "half the world", though I'm not sure how many will be familiar with the play on words "Esfahan nesf-e jahan"! We had such a wonderful time in your beautiful city and everyone was so welcoming to us.

Your English is far better than my Farsi!!!

My husband used Servas in Spain years ago and I know someone who opens her home here in California, it is apparently a great organization, much different from couch surfing.

Happy you liked it and you are always welcome to Esfahan and our house is yours. yes Iranians are famous for their hospitality
I checked Servas but i didn't get much about how it works!
It s not surprising that your Farsi isn't so good but disappointing that my English is like your Farsi
thank you for your help.